Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards avoids jail over 'disgusting' images of children – .

Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards, once one of the most trusted and recognisable faces on British television, avoided jail on Monday (16 September) for indecent photos of children, capturing a stunning fall. The 63-year-old presenter was instead given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years, meaning he will serve no jail time if he does not reoffend. His reputation and career are now in tatters after he pleaded guilty in July to three counts of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and August 2021.

Sentencing Edwards, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said that if he had been jailed he would have been at risk of “considerable harm” from others and suicide, adding that he had also shown remorse.

Edwards stood in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London with his hands clasped as if in prayer. The former presenter had admitted receiving 41 indecent images of children on WhatsApp from a 25-year-old convicted paedophile, including seven of the most serious. Most of the children were aged between 13 and 15 and one was aged between seven and nine.

But the magistrate said that while the offences were extremely serious, there was no need for an immediate prison sentence. He also ordered that he complete a 40-day sex offender treatment programme and 25 days of rehabilitation. Defence lawyer Philip Evans told the court that Edwards accepted the “abhorrent nature of the images” and was “deeply sorry” for having “betrayed so many people”.

Edwards faced a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a minimum sentence of 12 months. He was first arrested last November and charged in June, but the case was not publicly disclosed until late July, just days before he was due in court.

The Welsh presenter resigned from the BBC in April on “medical advice” after 40 years with the channel.

'Disrepute'

The BBC, which is funded by taxpayers and whose brand is built on public trust, has admitted it was informed by police of the arrest and has been criticised for continuing to pay Edwards a salary for six months after the arrest.

In 2003, Edwards was appointed presenter of the BBC's flagship 10pm news bulletin. In addition to the late Queen's funeral, Edwards reported on the wedding of heir to the throne Prince William to Kate Middleton and led coverage of the UK general election.

But the father-of-five's professional life began to unravel in July 2023 when he was suspended by the BBC following tabloid allegations that he had paid a young man for explicit images.

Edwards has not commented on the allegations, but his wife released a statement saying her husband was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and was receiving “hospital care.”

The police criminal investigation into Edwards began after a phone seized by officers as part of an unrelated investigation revealed his involvement in a WhatsApp conversation.

BBC director-general Tim Davie said the broadcaster was “very shocked” by the details revealed at Edwards' trial. The BBC board said Edwards had “brought discredit” to the corporation and had asked him to repay the salary he was earning at the time of his arrest, which was worth £200,000.